Six Hours After Deadline
by Bohemian Storm
Summary: *Chapters 8-10 Added- FINISHED**Non-canon fic* Rey Curtis returns to the 2-7 to find himself working on a very serious case with people who can't separate their past from their future. Reviews are greatly appreciated and adored.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a completely non-canon L&O fic. You'll see why as you read on. :) Enjoy.  
Disclaimer: I dob't own any of the following characters with the exception of Detective Hargraves. The rest belong to Dick Wolf and co.  
  
* * * *  
  
Rey Curtis shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other as he stood alone in Anita Van Buren's office. It had been nearly two years since he had last stood there, handing in his resignation in order to take care of his wife, Deborah. She had died only months later, leaving him with three girls to take care of on a minimal salary and as much as Rey hated the idea of working the beat but he had to find some way to clothe and feed his children.   
  
Now he was standing nervously in the lieutenant's office, waiting to see once more if he would be able to get a job as a detective. He hated the tension in the air, a tension that wasn't abated any by the fact that he had previously held a job as a detective at the two-seven. Rey knew that if Anita decided he was no longer up to par, she'd kick him out of her office and go on looking for the next recruit. His professional past with her meant nothing; all that mattered was if he could still do the job.  
  
Things had changed since he had been there, that much was clear to Rey. Lennie Briscoe had a new partner in the form of an old partner. For the first time only ten minutes ago, Rey had met the infamous Mike Logan. Apparently Anita had been desperate for detectives after having six of her employees killed in a shooting earlier that month. She was willing to forgive and forget in the case of Mike Logan, desperate as she was. He had resumed working with Lennie Briscoe whose former partner had died in the shootout.   
  
As Rey reminisced about the other things that had changed, the door flew inward and Anita entered briskly. The door was shut quickly behind her and she flashed a brief smile in Rey's direction before taking a seat behind her desk. His request for a transfer to homicide was on her desk and she glanced over it quickly then looked up at Rey.  
  
"You heard about the tragedy ?"  
  
Rey nodded. "I heard. It was very unfortunate."  
  
"You think you can just come back here and be handed a job?" she asked.  
  
Rey gaped at her. "Anita, no. I don't expect that. It's just that I need a new job and you need homicide detectives. You know I'm good."  
  
She nodded slowly, "I do know it. And I've turned this over in my head for the past week. I think it's a good idea to have you back Curtis. If I can give Detective Logan his job back I don't see why I can't give one to you as well. Maybe it's the stress of not having enough detectives that's convinced me, but either way . . ." she trailed off and smiled. "Welcome back Detective Curtis."  
  
He smiled back at her and shook the hand that she offered him over the desk.  
  
Anita nodded, then glanced at the papers on her desk once more. "As you know you won't be working with Detective Briscoe, he already had a new partner." She flipped through the pages, then smiled to herself. "I think you'll work perfectly with Detective Hargraves."  
  
Rey smiled and nodded. "Great. That sounds great. When do I meet him?"  
  
Anita suppressed a smile and pointed to the door. "Go finds Hargraves' desk. Then you'll meet . . . him."  
  
Rey glanced at her with a slight frown on his face, then nodded and went to the door.  
  
"Oh, and Curtis, you can pick up your badge, handcuffs and gun from me tomorrow morning," Anita called just before the door shut behind him.   
  
Rey stared around the bustling precinct, watching, remembering a time when he was one of the detectives moving through the room in a flurry. With a smile he realized he would be one of them again.   
  
He stepped into the clutter of desks and began reading the name plates that sat there, searching for the desk that would read 'Hargraves'. Finding it was easy enough, but when Rey looked up, he was surprised to find that the detective wasn't sitting at his desk. There was a blonde woman bent over his paperwork, his wife perhaps?  
  
"Excuse me," Rey said.  
  
The woman glanced up and raised one of her eyebrows at him. Her hair was pulled away from her face in loose waves and her eyes were steel grey, the colour of the ocean sky before a storm. She was dressed in a plain black dress suit and she looked more stressed than Rey had seen anyone in a long time.  
  
"Yeah?" she asked, dragging a hand through her hair. Her voice was tired and thick with a Brooklyn accent.  
  
"Is, uh . . . Detective Hargraves around?" Rey asked.  
  
The woman rolled her eyes. "You're lookin' at her smart guy ."  
  
Rey immediately cringed, then felt himself begin to blush. "Oh, I'm really sorry. I uh, I just thought that Hargraves was a man. I don't know why I thought that but I'm so sorry. I'm not sexist or anything but-"  
  
"You're sure as hell noisy," she finished for him. "You think I could get some quiet here? I have mounds of paperwork to complete . . . unless, of course, I get a partner soon."  
  
"Well, if you're Detective Hargraves, then do you have a partner," he said, sticking out his hand. "I'm Detective Rey Curtis."  
  
"Natalie Hargraves," she said, then stared him up and down. "Rey Curtis huh? Didn't you take off some two years back?"  
  
Rey felt his mouth tighten and he nodded slowly. "Yes, I left to take care of my dying wife."  
  
"Oh," Natalie looked away. "I'm sorry. I just started working here a year ago. I just heard the stories of you abandoning the precinct."  
  
"I didn't abandon anything," Rey said. "My wife needed me."  
  
"Is she dead now?" Natalie asked.  
  
Rey closed his eyes, then nodded. "Yes. She died not long after I left. It's just taken a long time to get back into homicide."  
  
"I'm sorry," Natalie said. "Van Buren didn't tell me anything about you, let alone that you'd be my new partner." She looked over at the door for a second and brightened slightly. "Briscoe says a lot of good things about you."  
  
Rey turned to watch Lennie Briscoe and Mike Logan walk through the door, talking intensely to each other. Mike was speaking with his hands, waving them about in the air and his brow was creased as he spoke. Lennie was nodding, his brow also furrowed in concern. A quick glance around the room revealed Natalie and Rey, but he barely noticed his old partner back as he walked briskly to Natalie.  
  
"We need you out there doll. Tell Van Buren you need a partner right away," Lennie said, smiling gently at her. "You're one of our best."  
  
Natalie suppressed a smile and pointed at Rey. "Meet my new partner, Detective Curtis."  
  
Lennie glance up and a surprised laugh escaped his mouth. "Jesus Rey, I didn't even see you there."  
  
"I kinda figured," Rey replied, then reached out to shake Lennie's hand. "It's been too long."  
  
Lennie nodded. "It has Rey, it definitely has." He stepped back and waved a hand in Mike's direction. "You've already met Detective Logan."  
  
Rey smiled and shook Mike's hand as well. "Hi again Detective."  
  
"You can call me Mike," he replied.  
  
Natalie stood and glanced at Mike before returning her attention to Lennie. "So what's out there that you need me so badly for?"  
  
Lennie shrugged. "Nothing yet. But New York's been too lucky lately. I'm sure we'll be hit by something big in the next few weeks."  
  
"Hey, don't jinx our good luck so far," Natalie said sharply, rapping on her wooden desk.  
  
"Still so utterly superstitious," Mike murmured.  
  
Natalie's eyes narrowed. "Hey Logan, shut up. You don't know me anymore."  
  
Lennie stepped between then and grabbed Mike's arm. "We're gonna head out. See what else Anita has for us to take care of. You guys play nice now."  
  
Natalie rolled her eyes and began shoving paperwork back into folders. Her hands were trembling slightly Rey noticed and he frowned.  
  
"You and Mike . . . you don't get along?" he asked.  
  
Natalie laughed bitterly. "That's an understatement."  
  
"He seems like a good guy," Rey said.  
  
She nodded slowly, standing and taking the folders with her. She walked briskly across the room and Rey had to follow her quickly to hear her say, "Yeah, he is a good guy. But only if you're working with him. When you're dating him it's a completely different story."  
  
"Oh," Rey said stupidly, understanding finally dawning on him. "You and Mike dated."  
  
"Few years ago when I was still in college," Natalie said, stuffing the folders into an outgoing mail slot. "I was twenty one and pretty stupid. He was this handsome detective; not to mention that he was eight years older than me and had his own place. I thought it was great."  
  
"Hey, we all make mistakes," Rey said.  
  
"He's an asshole to date," Natalie replied, turning to look at him. "But I'm sure you don't want to hear all about that."  
  
Rey smiled. "We're partners now. We have to trust each other." He glanced at the clock. "What do you say I take you for a quick dinner and we can get to know each other."  
  
Natalie sighed and shook her head briskly.  
  
"As partners," Rey said. "That's all."  
  
She sighed again and looked around the room for a quick escape. Finding none, she nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess that'd be okay."  
  
Rey smiled at her reluctance. "When do you get off?"  
  
"Six," Natalie said, glancing at her watch. "You gonna pick me up?"  
  
"I'll be here at six," he said. Rey began to walk away, then turned back and smiled. "It's nice to meet you Detective. I'm sure you'll be great to work with."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Natalia muttered, waving her hand in his direction. She tried her hardest to look annoyed, but as Rey Curtis walked away she let a tiny smile escape. She was secretly pleased that she would be working with Rey. From what she had heard, he was one of the best detectives at the two-seven, one of the best in New York city for that matter. She was looking forward to learning as much from him as she possibly could.  
  
* * * * 


	2. Chapter 2

* * * *  
  
Three Weeks Later  
  
  
Mike Logan caught up to Natalie Hargraves outside of an East Forty Seventh street building and grabbed her forearm. She was walking briskly and was yanked backward when he grabbed her. Fists clenching, she turned toward her attacker, then dropped her hands and grinned slightly when she saw who it was.  
  
"Logan," she drawled. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Heard there was a body," he replied.  
  
Natalie straightened herself and nodded, "Yeah, found in the alley behind this building. Want the details?"  
  
He nodded, watching Natalie flip through a notebook with quick, deft fingers.   
  
"Her throat was slit. No I.D. on the body," she began, "we figure her to be approximately twenty four years old, blonde hair, green eyes. She weighs in at about one hundred and thirty pounds, five feet, seven inches tall. She was wearing a ripped grey skirt and a cardigan; a school uniform."  
  
Mike touched her arm. "School uniform? At twenty four?"  
  
Natalie nodded. "Ay, there's the rub."  
  
Mike grinned slightly at her joke, then glanced back at her notebook. "Are you sure it was a school uniform? Not just similar?"  
  
She shook her head. "It has the emblem of Upper East Side Girls' School stitched onto the front shoulder. Either she was s student there . . . still, or she was a teacher's assistant. If she was studying there to become a teacher she'd be required to wear the uniform."  
  
"Anything else?" Mike asked.  
  
"There was a struggle, it's very obvious. The bruises on her wrists indicate she was either tied down or someone held her down while they raped her."  
  
"Raped too?"  
  
Natalie nodded. "She's been raped. The evidence of a violent crime is all there; her skin is torn and bruised very badly."  
  
"Semen?" Mike asked.  
  
At this question Natalie sighed and shook her head. "The perpetrator used a condom. The empty wrapper was stuffed in her front pocket."  
  
"That's new," Mike murmured. "Brand?"  
  
"Trojan; sold in every drug store from here to Alaska."  
  
"Figures." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Anything under her fingernails?"  
  
Natalie sighed and shifted her gaze slightly. "That's another thing . . ."  
  
"Yeah?" Mike prodded gently.  
  
"She's been scrubbed clean. Her fingernails have been clipped short, scrubbed with some kind of brush with rough bristles. Her hair was washed before she was dumped, even her clothes were thrown in the washing machine. If there was anything to identify who did this to her it's all been washed away." Natalie sighed. "This guy was calm after he raped and killed her. He was unusually calm. He's crossed a line and he's not coming back."  
  
"You think there's gonna be more?" Mike asked.  
  
Natalie met his eyes and nodded. "I'd bet on it."  
  
"Shit," he murmured and ran a hand through his hair. "Think he's gonna have a pattern?"  
  
Natalie nodded again. "If he was this calm he can risk it. He's twisted Mike." She looked away, obviously worried about the future crimes.  
  
Mike stared at her for a long moment watching the sun glint off her blonde hair. She had been called from home that morning to assist Rey at the crime scene so she was dressed in casual clothing. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a black tee shirt. Her hair was freshly washed and hanging loosely around her face, but already the heat of the New York summer day was getting to her. Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead and as she swiped unconsciously at them, Mike watched in awe. She completely captured his senses, even after all the years they'd spent apart.  
  
"God you're beautiful," Mike said before he knew what was coming out of his mouth.  
  
Natalie glanced at him sharply. "Don't say that."  
  
"It's true."  
  
Her eyes hardened. "We're on a crime scene here. A girl is dead and all you can think to say is I'm beautiful? We've been there Mike, it didn't work. You're too much of a commitment phobic for my liking. Don't start screwing with my mind again; it's over. It's been over for four years already."  
  
Mike sighed, then ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, okay?" he grunted. Without another word he spun on his heel and walked toward the crime scene.  
  
Natalie stared after him for a long moment, then followed. She hated when he tried to involve their personal lives in their work. She had become used to it over the past year, but she still hated it. Even though their relationship had been four years ago and they had dated for just over six months, Natalie still knew how to handle Mike. Very often he couldn't handle forthright women and that was exactly what Natalie had become.  
  
As she rounded the corner of the building and came upon the crime scene Natalie saw Mike bending over the body to snap a quick Polaroid. Without any identification they would have to pass around a photo of the girl's corpse.  
  
Rey slid up to her a second later and touched her elbow. "Have you briefed Mike?"  
  
Natalie nodded. "Yeah, he's got everything." She frowned slightly and rubbed her temples.  
  
"Something wrong?" Rey asked.  
  
"There's something missing," Natalie said, still rubbing her head. "Something about her uniform."  
  
It was Rey's turn to frown, but before he could ask what she mean Natalie had turned toward Mike and the other officers.  
  
"Her jacket!" she called. "Mike, take off her jacket."  
  
Without a frown or a second glance, Mike complied and gently began to pull the dead girl's arm from her jacket.  
  
"There," Natalie said, pointing at the girl's right arm. Stitched in black thread onto her white sweater was the name Leslie.  
  
"We have a name," Mike murmured.  
  
Rey smiled at Natalie. "How did you know?"  
  
She shrugged and smiled back. "I have very rich parents. You're looking at a 1995 Upper East Side Girls' School graduate. And here I though that expensive education had been useless."  
  
"You were wrong," Mike said, standing. "Nice call Nat." He grinned and squeezed her shoulder before walking back to Lennie and his car.  
  
Rey couldn't help but notice Mike's use of a nickname and the suppressed smile on Natalie's face. Their relationship may have been in the past, but regardless of their insults and sarcastic comments thrown at each other there was something that still burned between them. Normally something like that wouldn't bother Rey but he had the sudden, sinking feeling that Mike and Natalie would let their personal issues interfere with their work.  
  
He wondered for a moment if he should voice these concerns to Natalie, but Mike was back before he could decide on what to do.  
  
"Lennie wants to head back to the two-seven and get started on finding connections to any past, unsolved rapes we've had. I thought I'd get to the school first and see what I could find out about Leslie here," Mike said. "Wanna come Nat?"  
  
She nodded. "Sure, I know the school and the teachers. It'll help to have me there."  
  
Rey touched her arm again. "I'll go back with Lennie. See what Van Buren thinks about the possibility of a serial rapist here."  
  
Natalie nodded, then walked back toward her car with Mike at her side. Rey hated suspecting they would use this chance to talk about their past, but he wanted to test them. If they could work alone together then he could be sure everything would turn out for the best.   
  
* * * * 


	3. Chapter 3

* * * *  
  
Natalie tapped her fingernails impatiently on the front counter in the office of Upper East Side Girl's School. The secretary who had been working there had gone to see if the principal was available for questioning and had been very short with them, even after they had both flashed her their badges.  
  
"Once a bitch, always a bitch," Natalie muttered.  
  
"She worked here when you went to school here?" Mike asked.  
  
Natalie nodded. "Of course she did. She was so bitter . . ." she laughed and shook her head. "I remember her screaming at me once because I was talking about a date I had went on that weekend. She told me that I was a slut and that sex should be saved until marriage. I guess she didn't quite realize that I hadn't had sex, that I was a virgin until," Natalie stopped herself short and blushed slightly, turning away.  
  
"Until?" Mike prodded gently.  
  
"Oh, what do you think?" she asked, glancing quickly in his direction.  
  
Mike remained silent, not wanting to say anything that would make Natalie angry with him. In truth, her sudden revelation of her sexual experience had stunned him. He certainly hadn't known at the time that she had been a virgin. A sudden guilty thought flashed through Mike's mind - had he hurt her? Had he been so wrapped up in himself while they were dating that he had hurt her?  
  
Before he could even open his mouth to ask, the secretary came back and glanced in disdain at them both. Natalie was struggling to pin her long hair to her head in order to keep it off her neck and the secretary's jaw actually dropped when Natalie's shirt rose approximately half an inch above the waistband of her jeans.  
  
"The principal," Mike said, tearing her attention away from the other detective.  
  
"Yes, of course. He's more than happy to answer any questions you may have." The secretary pointed at a large, wooden door behind her desk. "He's just through there."  
  
"Thanks," Natalie muttered, still struggling with her hair.  
  
"Maybe bitch was an understatement," Mike whispered to her as they walked toward the principal's office.  
  
Natalie snickered under her breath, then knocked sharply on the door and pushed it inward. An elderly man sat behind a large oak desk, a pen in one hand, tapping slowly against a large stack of papers.  
  
"Mr. Loewen?" Natalie asked, showing her badge. "I'm Detective Hargraves and this is Detective Logan. We have a few questions for you concerning a homicide victim who was discovered earlier today."  
  
Loewen glanced over the rim of his glasses, then smiled brightly. "Natalie Hargraves. Someone told me you have become a detective, but I wouldn't have believed it. Look at you." He grinned again. "Why, I remember you as a scared twelve year old girl entering grade seven. You've certainly changed."  
  
Natalie nodded, obviously uncomfortable with the principal's memories of her. "May we sit?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, of course," Loewen said, spreading his hands toward the two chairs. "Now what can I help you with?"'  
  
"Do you recognize this girl?" Natalie asked, holding up the picture Mike had taken earlier.  
  
Loewen took it from her, then frowned. "That's a horribly gruesome picture to be showing people."  
  
Natalie sighed. "We know Mr. Loewen. The girl had no identification on her when she was found and this is our only hope at finding out who she is. Now, do you recognize her?"  
  
He studied the picture for a long moment and sighed. "I think it's Leslie Marsden. She's a teaching assistant here . . . or, I suppose she was a teaching assistant here."   
  
"You're certain of that I.D.?" Mike asked.  
  
Loewen nodded. "Fairly certain. You could go up to room sixteen on the fourth floor. That's Mr. Koman's room. He's a newer addition to the staff, but Leslie was working in his classroom the majority of the time." He shook his head sadly. "This is horrible. She was such a bright girl."  
  
"One more question," Mike said, before standing. "Did you ever notice anyone hanging around, waiting for her when she got off work? Any boyfriends or men standing across the street?"  
  
Loewen leaned back and ran a hand over his face. "Now that you mention it, I remember telling her a few weeks earlier to watch out for this man."  
  
Natalie leaned forward. "Which man?"  
  
"This tall guy, he had been standing across the street every day for almost a week straight. Then one day he just wasn't there anymore." Loewen shrugged. "I figured he liked staring at the young girls in their uniforms."  
  
"Could you recognize him again?" Mike asked.  
  
Loewen nodded as Natalie began to make notes in her book. "Like I said, he was really tall. Probably about six feet, six inches. He was huge too, muscles everywhere like he worked out. His head was shaved bald and he was always wearing the same black leather jacket, no matter how hot it was outside."  
  
Natalie closed her book and shook the principal's hand. "Thanks a lot. If you think of anything else, don't hesitate to give myself or Detective Logan a call." She handed him a card, then followed Mike out of the office.  
  
Once they were past the accusatory glare of the secretary and safe in the hall, Mike turned to her.  
  
"So what do we have so far?" he asked.  
  
Natalie shrugged. "Not much. A name, which is always good, a job and a reason why she was wearing the uniform. A tall, bald guy who likes watching girls in skirts."  
  
"We should call Rey and Lennie. Let them see if they can find anything on a Leslie Marsden and if they can get her parents down to the station," Mike said.  
  
Natalie nodded. "Then we'll be paying a visit to Mr. Koman."  
  
* * * *  
  
They entered room sixteen on the fourth floor approximately fifteen minutes later. Rey and Lennie hadn't been able to find anything on Leslie; her records had been clean. But they did discover that her parents had filed a missing persons report almost four days earlier. A quick call to the medical examiner had proved all their suspicions correct. Leslie had died only four hours before being found. That left four days in between that she had been alive and in someone's possession.  
  
When they entered the room, a small, scared looking man stared up at them. His dark eyes darted nervously when they showed him their badges, but he seemed to calm down within seconds.  
  
"Do you recognize her?" Natalie asked, showing Koman the picture.  
  
"Oh no," he moaned, taking the picture from her. "Has someone called her parents?"  
  
"Can you give her a name first?" Mike asked.  
  
"Leslie Marsden," Koman said. "She was my teaching assistant."  
  
"Did you know anything about her personal life?" Natalie asked.  
  
Koman shook his head slowly. "No, nothing. She didn't tell me anything. Outside of this classroom we barely spoke."  
  
"Yet you seemed very concerned when first seeing the picture," Natalie stated.  
  
Koman shrugged helplessly. "Her parents called me in hysterics, they wanted to know when I had last seen her. That was," he paused to think, "five days ago."  
  
"That's consistent with the missing persons report," Natalie muttered to Mike, then turned her attention back to Koman. " When you left for the day did you ever see her getting into a car with someone? A boyfriend maybe?"  
  
Koman shook his head. "Nothing. There was never any rides for her. She always caught the bus at the end of the block."  
  
"Did you ever see someone watching her as she came out of the school?" Mike asked.  
  
Koman shook his head again. "I usually left much later than she did. And when we did leave together, I never paid that much attention to other people on the street."  
  
Mike sighed and rubbed his palms together. "Did she ever complain to you about anyone following her?"  
  
"Nothing like that. We didn't talk much about our personal lives," Koman said.  
  
Natalie nodded. "Thank you Mr. Koman. If you think of anything else, please call one of us."  
  
"I don't believe him," Mike said once they were in the hall.  
  
"Neither do I," Natalie replied. "Let's see what Leslie's parents have to say and get a sketch artist over to Loewen. He might be able to help out, he seemed to have watched the guy pretty closely."  
  
Mike nodded his agreement. "If this guy did something to her, we need to find out quick."  
  
"I don't think he did anything," Natalie said, starting down the stairs. "I think he's innocent, but he knows something that's for sure."  
  
"You kidding me?" Mike asked, walking behind her. "I think he did it."  
  
"Okay, great. No need to get all worked up about it," Natalie said. "We have different theories."  
  
"No, stop a second," Mike said, grabbing her arm. "You don't think he did it?"  
  
Natalie shook her head. "No, I don't. This is too clean for a man like that. If he had done it we'd have evidence. I'm telling you Mike, this is a serial rapist."  
  
"And if you're wrong?"  
  
Natalie shrugged. "I'm wrong. What's gotten into you? We're supposed to investigate every angle."  
  
"Well, I don't think you're going about it in the right way," Mike said.  
  
Natalie rolled her eyes. "Don't get started on my methods Mike, you're a long way from the station and I still have your car keys in my pocket."  
  
"Fine, whatever. Let's just go," Mike said, sighing.  
  
Natalie walked down to the ground floor in silence, then glanced into the office to see the secretary staring angrily at both detectives. Mike grinned and put his arm around Natalie's shoulders, squeezing her gently. The secretary's scowl deepened and her eyes narrowed. Natalie couldn't help laughing and elbowed Mike in the stomach as they neared the front door.  
  
"I'm so glad Van Buren didn't stick me with you," she said.  
  
Mike removed his arm and mocked a tear. "Why?"  
  
"Because we'd never be able to work together. One moment we're fighting and the next we're acting like old friends." Natalie pushed open the front door and walked into the blistering heat of the damp afternoon.   
  
"We are old friends," Mike replied.  
  
She nodded and unlocked the car door, sliding in behind the wheel. Once Mike was in his seat and the car was started, Natalie turned to look at him. "Nevertheless, I think I should stick with Rey from now on. He's my partner, you're not."  
  
Mike nodded as she drove from the parking lot. "Fair enough."  
  
* * * * 


	4. Chapter 4

Notes: I am such a poor judge of someone's age. *sigh* So, here I am pretending Mike's approximately 35, when I go find Chris Noth on imdb.com and find that the man is almost 50. Whew! So, I'm even more off track now. Oh well. For all purposes of my fic, the timelines have been tampered with and Mike is around 35. :)  
  
* * * *  
  
Rey was walking by the office door when Natalie and Mike entered. He handed a sheet of paper to Van Buren, then glanced over at them.  
  
"Anything?" he asked.  
  
Natalie shook her head. "Nothing more than we've already told you. Koman says he and Leslie never talked about their personal lives. Says she took the bus home every night, no rides coming to get her."  
  
"Makes her an easy target," Rey pointed out.  
  
Mike nodded. "That's about all we've figured out."  
  
"Her parents are here," Rey said. "Room three. Lennie's in there already, but he wanted you with him once you got back."  
  
Mike nodded again. "Sure thing." He smiled slightly, then headed down the hall to join his partner.  
  
"We need a sketch artist sent to the school," Natalie said. "The principal told us there had been a guy hanging around there for a while. He could give us a pretty good composite sketch."  
  
Rey nodded. "I'll talk to Van Buren about it." He paused, studying Natalie slightly, then cleared his throat. "Are you and Mike okay to work together?"  
  
She glanced at him, obviously startled by the question. "We, uh . . . what do you mean Rey?"  
  
"Can you work with him? Do you two get along while you're working together?"  
  
Natalie nodded slowly. "For the most part we do. Not that it matters. He's not my partner; you are."  
  
"I know," Rey said, shifting uncomfortably. "I was just wondering. You know, with everything you've told me about your past with him I thought it might be hard on you."  
  
Natalie shrugged. "I can put it behind me, I have to. It happened four years ago and it's over now."  
  
"Yes, but you loved-"  
  
"Don't say it Rey," Natalie said, holding up her hand. "I don't even know why I told you that."  
  
"We're friends," he replied.  
  
"I've known you for three weeks. We're not exactly the closest friends in the world."  
  
"I know, but you trust me don't you?" Rey asked.  
  
Natalie nodded slowly. "Of course I do. I trust you because you're my partner and you're a good guy. But you need to learn to drop things. Mike and I happened a long time ago. He has no idea that I was in love with him then, don't bother him with it now."  
  
Rey sighed and walked back to his desk. "Fine, I'll keep my mouth shut."  
  
Natalie smiled. "Good call Detective."  
  
They settled into their desks, staring at the telephone records Lennie had pulled up from Leslie Marsden's house. There were pages and pages of telephone numbers from the past month, most of them turned out to be friends of the family, or Leslie's close friends. Natalie and Rey questioned a few of them over the phone, but her friends knew even less than her employers had. Leslie had been single, no guys had been pursuing her according to her friends, which Rey found rather hard to believe. From the pictures her parents had brought in, it was obvious that the girl had been attractive.  
  
"Hey, I've got a call here to thirteenth precinct," Natalie said, holding up the paper. "It was placed . . . ten days ago."  
  
Rey raised his eyebrows. "Wonder what she was calling them about."  
  
"Complaint maybe? About a man following her around." Natalie picked up her phone and punched in the number for the thirteenth precinct. She spoke quietly to the lieutenant for a moment, then was transferred to a Detective Norenberg.  
  
"Detective, hi," Natalie began. "This is Detective Hargraves from the twenty seventh . . . yes." She paused for a long moment and smiled. "That's right. Anyway, I'm looking at some phone records for a victim and it seems she called you about ten days ago. The lieutenant said you took her case."  
  
Rey watched as Natalie began to take quick notes and murmured the occasional comment into the phone. A moment later she leaned back in her chair, her hand travelling quickly through her hair.  
  
"Okay, thanks a lot Detective," she said, then hung up the phone.  
  
"Anything?" Rey asked.  
  
"Plenty," Natalie replied. "Leslie's father called them ten days ago complaining about a man who had been following his daughter home on the bus every night for a week. The description matches the guy the principal saw perfectly."  
  
"Lennie and Mike would have gotten that out of them anyway," Rey pointed out.  
  
Natalie nodded. "That's true. Either way, at least we have something."  
  
Rey glanced back down at his list of phone numbers. "Nothing new on this sheet. They all match up with the ones you've already seen. Friends mostly."  
  
Natalie opened her mouth to respond, but closed it a second later when she saw Mike and Lennie leading two people down the hall. The woman had her head buried in her hands and the man behind her had silent tears running down his face. Mike stopped by Rey's desk and watched as his partner led them from the station.  
  
"They're devastated," he said once they were gone. "They're furious the police couldn't do anything about this guy earlier."  
  
"Did you get anything useful from them?" Natalie asked.  
  
Mike shrugged. "Nothing that we don't already know. Mr. Marsden said he called the cops about twelve days ago to report a tall, bald man following Leslie around. So the only new thing we've learned is that he's been following her further than the school."  
  
"Hey!" Rey called, motioning them over to his computer. "Look what I have here."   
  
He tilted the computer screen toward the two other detectives to show them three more missing persons files. "Jennifer Broadbent, Alyssa Kane and Stephanie O'Brien. All women, all tall and blonde, all of them worked at or attended a private school."  
  
Natalie shook her head gravely. "We have our pattern."  
  
"Four women in the past week?" Mike asked. "Four missing women and one body. That means there are three other women out there with this guy, still alive. Three women we need to save."  
  
"Two," Anita said from her office door. "I just got a call from an officer. He needs you out at West One hundred and third street. There's a body of a blonde woman, eighteen years old, attended Middle West Private School."  
  
"Me and Rey?" Natalie asked, reaching for her belt and notepad.  
  
Anita sighed. "I want all four of you on it. Take Logan and Briscoe with you. We need to find the other two before he can kill them," she said. "Make sure we catch this guy before another body shows up."  
  
* * * *  
  
Rey stood over the young woman's body with the medical examiner, waiting for a report on the neck wound she had received. Natalie was back at the precinct reporting to Van Buren on what they had found while Mike and Lennie were still searching the crime scene.  
  
"Same weapon," the medical examiner said, pulling off her gloves. "I'd reckon a butcher knife, six inches long, fairly thick blade. Unless there's two men running around Manhattan raping girls and killing them in the same way with a butcher knife, you've got yourself a repeat killer."  
  
Rey sighed and closed his eyes. "She was raped."  
  
The woman nodded. "Whatever happened to Leslie Marsden also happened to Alyssa Kane. Her fingernails have been clipped, her hair has been washed and her clothes put through a washing machine. I couldn't get fingerprints off any of her jewellery and the condom wrapper was clean as well." She sighed and shrugged her shoulders apologetically. "I'm afraid that unless you bring us the washing machine with sweater fibres in it, forensics won't be much of a help in this case."  
  
"Thanks anyway," Rey said. "You've helped us establish the pattern at least."  
  
The medical examiner smiled slightly, then pulled a sheet over the body of Alyssa Kane. Rey turned with a sigh and left the room, wondering where he could go from this point. He was supposed to wait for Natalie before he started the questioning of her school teachers and friends. Mike and Lennie had promised to deal with the parents again.   
  
Rey felt useless, standing in the morgue. He felt as if he was just waiting for something to fall into his lap. Standing there, staring into the darkening evening, Rey felt more helpless than he had in a long time. More helpless than he had since Deborah's death. There had been nothing he could do to prevent her from dying and she had been taken from him so quickly. Now he was on a case where he felt as if his efforts were futile, that the remaining two women would turn up dead and he could do nothing about it.  
  
No one really knew how lonely he still felt since his wife's death. He had opened up to Natalie about some of it, but the extent of his depression was very deep. A day didn't go by when he didn't think about how alone he now was in the world. Even his children had begun to pull away from him, spending the majority of their time with their grandparents. Rey knew it was hard, but he had to work.  
  
His cell phone shrilled a moment later, startling him out of his thoughts.  
  
"Curtis," he said gruffly.  
  
"You sound about as cheery as I feel," Natalie muttered on the other end.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"No, don't be. I understand what you're feeling. We're fighting a losing battle."  
  
"Don't say that," Rey said, then sighed. "If we think that, why should we even bother?"   
  
"Well, Mike and Lennie are back here with Alyssa's parents. They called the parents of the other two women as well and they should be here shortly. We're hoping to give this guy a name through one of them," Natalie explained.  
  
"And if another girl ends up dead before we can do that?" Rey asked.  
  
Natalie sighed. "Just get your ass to the station Curtis and don't piss me off." She cut off the connection and Rey closed his phone.  
  
With a sigh he headed out of the morgue and back to the two-seven.  
  
* * * * 


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter dedicated to Nonentity and Robin Lee for their reviews, just because I love dedicating chapters to people *and* because they both write very well. :) Enjoy.  
  
* * * *  
  
Two Weeks Later  
  
"No name, no prints, no blood," Mike murmured. "What is this guy? A ghost?"  
  
"Count our blessings," Natalie warned. "Those two other women are still alive somewhere."  
  
"Or we haven't found their bodies," Rey said.  
  
Lennie shook his head. "He's dumped the other two in plain view. I don't think he'll start being secretive now."  
  
"His sketch is out in every major newspaper, there haven't been anymore reported kidnappings." Natalie glanced at the other detectives. "At least we're doing something right."  
  
Mike shrugged. "If you call getting absolutely nowhere 'something right'. I wish there was something more. Anything."  
  
"We've interviewed everyone that Leslie and Alyssa knew," Lennie pointed out. "We're at a dead end here."  
  
"Hey, what about Koman?" Rey asked suddenly. "Natalie, didn't you and Mike say you didn't trust the guy?"  
  
She suppressed a smile and nodded. "He seemed a little nervous. We found out last week it was because he'd been charged with drug possession before and thought we were gonna book him again. He had crack in his desk drawer."  
  
"They got him?" Lennie asked.  
  
Natalie nodded again. "Narcotics called me a few days ago and asked if we'd done a questioning session with him. They said they had picked him up trying to sell it to a twelve year old girl."  
  
"I'm sure the guy made a great teacher though," Mike muttered sarcastically.  
  
"Let's look at all the pieces," Lennie said, spreading his hands over the table. "We have a composite sketch that no one in the entire city recognizes. We have two dead women, both blonde and both wearing school uniforms at the time of the disappearance. Two other women are missing as well, both blonde and wearing uniforms. All four of them are between the ages of eighteen and twenty four, young still. Very young. This guy kept two of them for five or six days before killing them. The other two have been missing for almost three weeks now. Three of the four women complained about being followed by a man fitting the description we've been given. So, what does it amount to?"  
  
"Without prints or any leads . . . nothing," Mike said.  
  
All four detectives stared at each other miserably. They were literally at a dead end with no where else to go. The lives of two women depended on them and their attacker had left them nothing to go on.   
  
Anita rapped sharply on one of the desks and stared down at them. "Bad news."  
  
Natalie shook her head. "Please don't tell us that."  
  
"Not another body, another kidnapping," Anita said. "An elderly woman saw it happen, watched a tall, muscular bald man take a girl right off the street in broad daylight."  
  
"Did she see a car?" Rey asked.  
  
Anita shook her head. "He dragged her around a building, probably had his vehicle waiting there. The woman said the girl had just come out of a private school, the same one that Leslie Marsden taught at."  
  
"He prefers Upper East Side girls?" Mike asked, thoughtfully.  
  
"Why? Does that give you an idea Logan?" Anita asked.  
  
He nodded slowly. "Yeah, we give him another opportunity to take an Upper East Side girl."  
  
The lieutenant shot him an angry glare. "Are you crazy? Which girl do you think will risk herself to be bait for us?"  
  
Natalie laughed suddenly, realizing what Mike had in mind. "This girl," she said.  
  
Rey glanced at her, then shook his head as the understanding dawned on him. "You can't do it."  
  
"Someone care to inform me exactly what she'd be doing?" Anita asked, tapping her fingers impatiently.  
  
"I went to Upper East Side Girls' School," Natalie explained. "I still have my uniform."  
  
Anita nodded slowly. "Would you do it?"  
  
Natalie paused for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I don't see why not. If this saves the lives of three women, I'm willing to do it."  
  
"You could carry a gun," Lennie said.  
  
Mike shook his head. "Too bulky. She can't be wearing a jacket, he needs to see the school uniform. A knife maybe?"  
  
"A pocket knife would be fine," Natalie said. "You guys will be there too. I'm sure I'll be safe."  
  
Rey sighed in exasperation. "Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this plan?"  
  
Natalie turned to him. "I appreciate the concern Rey, I really do. But something needs to be done, we can't just let this guy get away."  
  
"So we risk your life instead?" he asked.  
  
"I won't be at risk," Natalie insisted.  
  
Mike nodded, satisfied that the argument between the two other detectives was over. "It'll take me a few hours to work out the details with other cops. But tomorrow evening would work."  
  
Natalie nodded. "I'll do it."  
  
* * * * 


	6. Chapter 6

* * * *  
  
Mr. Loewen stood in the front hall of the school and nervously twisted his hands. It was apparent that he didn't like the idea of having the detectives give another victim to the man who had kidnapped two girls from his school and killed one. He had told them earlier that he was only agreeing to participate in this because he wanted to see the other girls come back alive.   
  
Natalie and Rey had entered the school early that morning, before the students had even arrived. They hadn't needed the man to see them going in together, not when they were both dressed like detectives. Mike and Lennie were stationed in a car down the street, the windows tinted to prevent anyone from looking inside. Anita was a block in the other direction, sitting with an officer on the front steps of an apartment building, pretending to be interested in the card game they were playing.  
  
The sun had begun to set and a few hours earlier, when school had let out, a blue van had pulled up outside the school. It hadn't moved since then and Natalie and Rey were both certain it was the man they were looking for.   
  
Far enough from the front windows, Natalie waited until Rey had tucked the pocket knife into the back of her skirt and pulled her sweater down over it. His hands were trembling noticeably and Natalie forced a smile to her face and touched his arm gently.  
  
"Hey, I'm gonna be fine," she said.  
  
"I can't lose a partner," Rey stated simply. "I've never lost a partner and I'm not going to start now. I lost Deborah, but I swear I will not lose you too Natalie."  
  
Her eyes grew sad, deeply touched that he had put her life on the same level as his wife. It pained her to know she was frightening Rey so badly by going through with this, but she had to. They had to save the other girls.   
  
"I'll be fine," she said again. "I promise you that I won't die. I don't plan on dying for a long time yet."  
  
Rey sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry, but this whole thing makes me pretty nervous."  
  
The walkie talkie he had strapped to his belt buzzed in that moment, cutting off any other words he had wanted to say. Mike's voice came over the speaker, "Hey, you guys ready in there?"  
  
Natalie took it from Rey and spoke into it, "I'm going out now. Wish me luck and watch my back."  
  
"You know I've always got your back Natalie," Mike said, then the walkie talkie went quiet.  
  
"You too," she said, looking at Rey. "Watch out for me."  
  
Without another glance at her partner or another word, Natalie picked up the textbooks that were on a nearby chair and went to the door where another officer was waiting for her, dressed in a suit like a teacher. They walked out of the building together and into the deepening night.  
  
* * * *  
  
Natalie stared nervously at the blue van, until the officer elbowed her discreetly. She nodded quickly, then glanced at him, pretending to be deep in conversation about something. After a few moments of their useless talking, Natalie waved goodbye, then watched as the officer walked toward one of the cars parked in the school's parking lot. He would drive away, but only two blocks up and park near the corner.   
  
Clutching the books to her chest, Natalie started down the street and passed the van without looking at it again. She had to keep reminding herself that Mike and Rey wouldn't let anything happen to her. They'd be at her side in an instant if it looked like she was in danger.  
  
Natalie had never noticed before how dark the streets were at night. Without her gun and handcuffs she felt helpless and vulnerable, despite the sharp knife tucked into her skirt. Very few people prowled the streets in this end of the city, even the homeless had retreated into their alleys and parks. The heels of her shoes clicked loudly on the pavement as she walked down the block, putting the van further and further behind her.  
  
She was nearly at Mike and Lennie's car when she heard the van door open behind her and the thick sound of boots thumping to the sidewalk. Forcing herself not to look back, Natalie picked up her pace slightly, hoping it was something that frightened women did. She was frightened now and all her instincts screamed at her to run, but she walked steadily.  
  
The footsteps neared her quickly, a deep chuckle sounded from just behind her and Natalie finally risked a glance backward. A tall man with no hair was looming over her, laughing harder than anyone she'd ever seen.  
  
*Run! Run!* her mind screamed, but she was unable to move. Trained as a police officer and detective, Natalie found herself completely frozen as she stared into the face of a killer. She'd arrested murderers before, but they had never been after her. This was new and it was terrifying.  
  
One strong hand reached out and seized her forearm tightly. Natalie dropped the books she was holding and struggled, trying to back away. The bald man laughed again and grabbed her other arm, lifting him over her shoulder. Wasn't this enough? Where were Mike and Rey? He had her, it was enough to catch him.  
  
No one came.  
  
Natalie began to scream then, punching the man's sides with all the strength she had. All her training left her, all the lessons she'd had on how to bring down someone stronger than her fled her and she mindlessly punched him, screaming the entire time  
  
They reached his van a moment later and the man opened the back doors, throwing Natalie into the back. She slammed violently against the seat, her head ringing with the impact.  
  
"You're a fighter, eh?" he asked, still chuckling to himself. "Very beautiful. Very beautiful woman you are. Don't know if I can wait 'till I getcha back home. Might have to take a little extra time here witcha missy."  
  
He climbed into the back of the van, straddling Natalie's body. She screamed again and he grabbed her wrist, twisting it violently. Her scream stopped the instant she felt her bones break and she received a sudden blow to the head.  
  
"Don't know why I'm doin' this to ya, eh?" he asked, slamming his fist against her temple again. "Don't ya remember what you did four years ago? The same thing all those other girls did."  
  
Her vision swam as he hit her again and again. Natalie groaned and her eyes threatened to close. Satisfied that she was sufficiently subdued, the man ripped the side of her skirt, exposing her legs to him. He grinned maliciously, then reached for his belt.  
  
Her mind snapped into a crystal clear revelation in that moment. If they didn't come now she would be dead. Rey would be right and she would die trying to catch this guy. Natalie twisted her body suddenly and grabbed the switchblade that was tucked into her skirt with her good hand. It flashed out, gleaming in the light of the street lamps and she slashed forward without thinking.  
  
The bald man howled and Natalie looked at him in terror. His arm was bleeding very badly and she still held the knife in her shaking hand. He leapt from the back of the van and she followed a moment later to see him jump into the front seat and floor the engine, the van lurching away from her.  
  
From somewhere in the distance she heard her name being called and turned toward the sound. Mike was running toward her, his arms outstretched to catch her.  
  
Natalie hit the ground before he could reach her.  
  
"Aw, shit," Mike growled, collapsing to his knees by Natalie's side. Rey reached them a second later, cursing under his breath.  
  
"Why didn't Van Buren let us go sooner?" he asked suddenly.  
  
Mike shrugged. "I don't know." He reached for Natalie, then saw the knife in her hand. "Bag that," he instructed. "It's got his blood on it."  
  
Rey gently removed the knife from Natalie's hand and slid it into an evidence bag. "It's the best we've got, but I don't think it's worth this," he said, gesturing to the bruises already forming on Natalie's face.  
  
"I'm so fucking stupid," Mike growled, berating himself. "It was a stupid idea. You were right Rey, we shouldn't have done this." He leaned toward Natalie, gently stroking her face. "It's okay Nat, Lennie called an ambulance before he went after the guy. Help's gonna be here soon."  
  
"It's not your fault Mike," Rey said, hesitating slightly.  
  
"Right!" Mike exploded. "Then who's fault is it? Natalie's hurt badly, she's lying on the street with a broken wrist and probably internal damage because I thought I had a good idea. Christ Rey, you don't get it. I risked the life of the only woman I've ever l-" he cut himself off short, visibly shaking. "I risked her life," he said evenly. "And I will never forgive myself for that."  
  
In the distance, sirens wailed, an eerie sound in the otherwise quiet neighbourhood.  
  
* * * * 


	7. Chapter 7

* * * *  
  
Mike stood over Natalie's hospital bed, watching the glowing monitors reflect off her bruised face. He was tired and withdrawn, speaking only to Rey, Lennie and the doctor who had been taking care of Natalie since she had been brought in three nights ago. Anita had given him the time off to spend at the hospital, but even if she hadn't, Mike wouldn't have left Natalie's side. It was his fault that she was in the hospital, he knew only he was to blame. Rey and Lennie had taken over the case, still trying to track down the three other girls and waiting for a lab report to come back on the knife.  
  
With a miserable sigh, Mike took Natalie's good hand in his own and gently touched her fingers. He forced himself to smile, seeing that the cheap silver ring he had given her all those years ago was still on her finger. If he only looked at her hand, he could almost convince himself that she hadn't been hurt at all. It was when he saw her face that the agonizing guilt poured over him once more.  
  
Black and purple bruises marred her temples, cheeks and jaw. The bruises continued further, hidden in her wavy hair and the doctors had been fearful that they would cause the most problems. Later, after her initial examination, they had all breathed sighs of relief and told Mike the bruises indicated no internal damage at all. Her right wrist looked as bad at her face. Most of it was in a cast, but a blue bruise had crept up her arm, all the way to her inner elbow.   
  
"Jesus Nat, I'm so sorry," he murmured, twisting the thin ring on her finger.  
  
A cough from the door startled him and Mike looked up to see Rey standing there with a plastic bag in one hand and a folder in the other.  
  
"Thought you might need something to eat," Rey said, holding out the bag that contained a subway sandwich. Mike smiled thankfully and took it from him without saying anything.  
  
"Got a lab report here too," Rey said, gesturing to the folder. "It's . . . interesting to say the least. Definitely not what we expected."  
  
Mike frowned, unwrapping the sandwich and taking a bite.  
  
"There was another set of prints on the knife," Rey explained.  
  
"Yours?" Mike asked.  
  
"Mine, Natalie's and another set."  
  
Mike's eyebrows knit together as he frowned. "The guy touched the knife?"  
  
Rey nodded. "They think he tried to grab it from her, but in the state she was in, Natalie held on pretty tight. She probably won't even remember him making a grab for the knife."  
  
"Have they found a match?"  
  
"Not yet, but they're still looking," Rey said. "One set of prints and thousands on top of thousands of criminals. Hopefully they'll come up with something soon."  
  
"Thanks for coming and telling me," Mike said, taking another bite of the sandwich.  
  
Rey smiled. "Not a problem. Lennie thought you'd want to keep up with the news." He cleared his throat gently, then glanced at Natalie. "She hasn't woken up yet?"  
  
Mike shook his head. "Not yet."  
  
"You look awful Mike," Rey said. "Go home and get some sleep. I can stay with her for the rest of the day."  
  
"No," Mike said, shaking his head. "I'm not leaving her here."  
  
"You can't do anything for her if you've passed out from exhaustion."  
  
Mike glared at him. "I'm fine Rey. I'm not leaving her here alone."  
  
"She wouldn't be alone. I'd stay. And you need to sleep. Natalie would want you to be healthy."  
  
"You don't know what Nat wants," Mike growled, turning on Rey suddenly. "You hardly know her."  
  
"Hey, calm down." Rey backed up slightly. "I was just saying that-"  
  
"You don't know what you're saying," Mike said in a low voice. "I almost killed her. She almost died because of me and if she had . . . I would have never forgiven myself." Mike was trembling visibly, his sandwich forgotten on the table and his hands gripping the bedrail so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. "Jesus Rey," he said, his voice suddenly soft, "you don't know our past. You don't understand what this is doing to me."  
  
"Then tell me," Rey said gently. "You keep skirting the issues of your past so just tell me already."  
  
Mike glanced away, his gaze wandering over to Natalie's face. His adam's apple worked quickly in his throat and he ran one of his hands through his hair. He was silent for a long moment, inwardly debating what Rey would think of him if he knew the way he had treated Natalie.  
  
Finally, Mike sat heavily in the chair beside Natalie's bed, twisting one of the rings on his hand.  
  
"I met her in a coffee shop just about three months before I was demoted. I saw her sitting alone in a booth with this law text book open in her lap and y'know, the first thing I thought was, 'There's our future DA'. Never thought she'd end up working with me." Mike chuckled slightly. "I thought Lennie was gonna strangle me when I 'accidentally' dropped my badge on her table. Well, you know Natalie. She barely paid any attention to me. She just marked her place in her book, picked up my badge and handed it back to me. Lennie just about burst a gut trying to keep from laughing."  
  
Rey smiled slightly and took the other chair in the room. "So she just ignored you?"  
  
Mike nodded. "Yeah, she went back to her book If I hadn't wanted to meet her before, I certainly did after that. She wasn't like anyone I'd picked up before . . . or since."  
  
"So, what happened?" Rey asked.  
  
"I sat down, introduced myself and asked her out," Mike explained. "It worked We, uh, well, we started dating. Before I even knew what happened, we were both assuming it was just each other." He fell silent for a moment, then sighed. "It was me who ended it. I just couldn't do it anymore. Part of me wanted to, but the rest of me wanted to run away. So I did. Took me two months to tell her. I know I hurt her a lot during those two months, more than I've ever hurt anyone, I think. She was right to call me an asshole. I was a huge asshole."  
  
"So, the only time you agree with me is when you think I'm unconscious?" a voice croaked from the bed.  
  
"Natalie!" Rey exclaimed, standing. "I'll get a doctor."  
  
She struggled to sit up as Rey left the room, then glanced over to where Mike was staring at her uncertainly. His hands were still shaking slightly, reaching toward her unconsciously, his eyes wide.  
  
"Mike?" she asked, looking at him sideways. It hurt to move her neck too much and her head pounded whenever she looked out the window into the sunlight.   
  
"You're okay," he stated, almost void of emotion.  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay," she replied.  
  
He stood slowly and moved over to her bed, his hand finally finding hers in the mess of bed sheets. He held it tightly, staring at her face like he didn't quite believe that she was awake. His eyes were huge and dark, studying her with careful precision, taking in every detail.  
  
She forced herself to laugh. "Do I look that bad?"  
  
"I am so sorry," he said, his voice hoarse. "I thought I had killed you."  
  
"Mike," she murmured and squeezed his hand gently, "C'mon Mikey," she said, using a nickname she hadn't said in years, "you should know better. You're not getting rid of me."  
  
"I tried though, didn't I?" he asked. "Before, when we were together, I wanted to get rid of you. Why? Why the hell would I want to get rid of a woman like you? I was . . . stupid."  
  
Natalie frowned slightly. "What are you saying Mike?"  
  
"I don't know," he admitted. "I don't know what I'm saying."  
  
"Would it help you say it if you knew that I still love you?" Natalie asked, regretting her words the moment they were out of her mouth.  
  
Mike stared at her, uncertainty and fear flashing in his eyes. His hand went limp in hers, the slid away as he took a step back.  
  
"Aw, shit . . . Mike I just-" she began, but he had turned and was walking toward the door before she could even finish the sentence. Natalie watched from her bed, unable to go after him, staring as his back disappeared from her sight.   
  
"Fuck!" she swore loudly just as Rey and the doctor stepped back into the room. Ignoring her words, the doctor hurried to her side and began to examine her, murmuring under his breath all the while. As he studied her, Natalie caught Rey's eye over the doctor's shoulder and frowned. He immediately understood and nodded sympathetically. There would come a time for comforting words, but not in the doctor's presence.  
  
"I'm going to suggest you stay here for a few more days for observation," the doctor said softly, writing on her chart. "Otherwise, you're very lucky. I'll send a nurse to check on you later."  
  
Rey watched Natalie for a moment from his position at the door, then slowly walked to her beside. Her eyes were narrowed slightly in her anger and he could see how tightly she was clenching her fist.  
  
"What happened?" he asked finally, after a long moment of silence.  
  
"I . . . oh, Jesus Rey, I told Mike that I still love him," she blurted out.  
  
Rey was taken aback. He had expected something along the lines of her relationship with Mike, but nothing that extreme. It took him a very long time to collect his thoughts and come up with the simplest response.  
  
"Do you?"  
  
She looked away from him then, unable to meet his eyes. "I . . . I don't know. No, I don't, at least I don't think I do. Maybe I do. I know I still like him, I mean, he's very attractive. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to get in bed with him again if he asked."  
  
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Rey had to smile. "He's that good?"  
  
Natalie stared at him, her grey eyes threatening to turn to ice. Then she smiled suddenly and ducked her head. "That is none of your business Rey Curtis!" she exclaimed, examining the cast on her right wrist. "You think he'd believe me if I blamed my words on my head injury?"  
  
"Do you feel groggy?" Rey asked.  
  
Natalie shook her head. "Not really. But Mike doesn't know that."  
  
"Take a few days to think it over," Rey suggested. "When you think you've figured things out, give him a call."  
  
"And what if I figure out that I am still in love with him?" she asked. "He's not going to like that very much."  
  
Rey shrugged. "He doesn't have to like it. It's your heart Nat," he paused, blushing slightly. "Sorry, I know that's Mike's nickname for you."  
  
She smiled gently and touched Rey's arm. "It's just a nickname Rey, you can call me Nat if you want. Mike's always called me that, but you can too."  
  
He stood and picked up the folder, then nodded toward the door. "I really should be going," he said. "I'll call or drop by if we find out anything about this guy, okay?"  
  
Natalie nodded. "Yeah, thanks Rey."  
  
He left the hospital room quickly, twisting the file in his hands. Even if Natalie wasn't ready to admit it, Rey knew she still loved the older detective. It was evident in the way she talked about him, the look in her eyes whenever he was around. With a heavy sigh, Rey realized he had been right. Both Mike and Natalie had let their feelings interfere with their work. Mike felt so guilty that he had started to ignore the case and Natalie was now too embarrassed to face Mike again. Her mind wasn't on the case, her mind was on her personal life.   
  
As he left the hospital, Rey turned his cell phone back on and noted there was a message from Anita. He called her back on the way to his car, but didn't receive any answer from her office. Frowning, Rey tried Lennie's desk and got the detective almost immediately.  
  
"Rey, thank God, we've been trying to get a hold of you for almost an hour now," Lennie said quickly.  
  
"I was at the hospital," he explained.  
  
"Just meet me back here now," Lennie said. "We have a match on the prints and new information on motive behind the murders. No one can find Mike and I need backup for this arrest."  
  
"Lennie, who is it? Is he dangerous?" Rey asked, starting the car and pulling away from the hospital.  
  
"Well, he's done it before. He spent twelve years in prison for kidnapping and rape." Lennie sighed. "Just get here, I'll explain it more when you do."   
  
Rey snapped his phone shut and drove the rest of the way to the precinct trying to sort out all the thoughts in his mind. He wanted to help Natalie deal with Mike, but the case was looming over him and he knew how important it was that they find the other girls before something terrible happened to them.   
  
With a frustrated sigh, Rey tried to force all thoughts of Natalie and Mike from his mind. He assured himself that everything would work out between them in the end, but even he knew that was a stretch.  
  
* * * * 


	8. Chapter 8

* * * *  
  
Natalie lay in her bed, a thick comforter pulled up to her waist and a plastic cup held tightly in her good hand. The television in her bedroom was on, but she wasn't really watching it, her eyes were glazed, staring at a random point on the wall. She had been released from the hospital four days earlier, but she hadn't left her own bedroom since arriving back at her apartment. She relied on her roommate Colleen to bring her food and water, but Natalie supposed that even if Colleen didn't bring her meals, she wouldn't bother to get up herself. She just didn't care.  
  
Every so often Colleen would stick her head into the room with some flimsy excuse about looking for something, just to check on Natalie's state. They had lived in the same apartment for nearly three years now and Colleen had never seen her friend in the state she was now. She had lost cases, seen brutal murders and even been hurt herself before but this time there was something different. It was as if someone had taken the spirit right out of Natalie.  
  
Colleen poked her head into Natalie's room in the late afternoon, wondering if her friend's state had anything to do with the large amount of vodka she'd been consuming all day in her plastic cup.  
  
"Colleen, I'm fine," Natalie said hoarsely.  
  
"I'm sure you are," she said quickly, "There's someone here to see you."  
  
Natalie turned to face her. "Mike?"  
  
Colleen frowned. Mike Logan . . . so that was what this was all about. A man Natalie had dated years ago, a man, Colleen knew, that Natalie still compared all other men against.   
  
"No, his name's Rey. He said he's your partner."  
  
Natalie's eyes closed slightly and she nodded. "Yeah. Rey's a good guy. You can send him in."  
  
Colleen nodded and disappeared from the doorway. Natalie heard her in the front hallway, talking with Rey quietly. With a slight grimace, she took a swig from her cup and closed her eyes again. They were probably talking about how fragile she was in this state, drunk and alone. She hated when people talked about her behind her back.  
  
The door opened a moment later and Natalie heard Rey step into the room. He shut the door gently and cleared his throat carefully.  
  
"I'm awake," she said.  
  
"How are you feeling?" he asked.  
  
"Okay," Natalie said slowly, "I've never really been hurt this badly while I was working before."  
  
Rey perched on the edge of her bed. "I need to talk to you about that."  
  
"About getting hurt?"  
  
He nodded slowly. "Lennie and I picked the guy up a few days ago. His name is Jordan Harper and he told us that he sees himself as a bringer of justice. The guy is crazy, he thinks he's been bringing the hand of God upon these women; you included."  
  
Natalie stared at him. "What did I do?"  
  
"That's kind of what I wanted to find out," Rey said, shifting uncomfortably. "He's very willing to tell us why they kidnapped and killed these girls and-"  
  
"Wait a second," Natalie said, sitting up. "They? There's more than one?"  
  
"Let me explain, okay?"  
  
She nodded slowly and slid back into her bed as Rey twisting the end of her blanket in his fingers.  
  
"Jordan Harper and Janet Cooke have been plotting this for about three years. Janet Cooke works as a secretary in the Upper East Side Girl's School."  
  
Natalie looked at Rey sharply. "Ms. Cooke . . . of course. She called me a slut when I was sixteen."  
  
"Apparently she really believed you were," Rey said. "She's been following certain girls in the Catholic school system that she believes are having sex before marriage. A few of these girls left the school, got jobs and she still followed them. Six of them got pregnant and had abortions. It was like they were proving all her suspicions right and then committing the greatest sin; they were killing their unborn children." Rey sighed. "She gave us her list when we picked her up Natalie, your name was on it."  
  
"Oh shit," she murmured, closing her eyes. "I didn't want him to find out."  
  
"We still have to find the three other women who are missing, they won't tell us where they are. If we can't get it out of them we still need to charge them with something and Jack McCoy wanted to know if you'd testify."  
  
"That I was attacked?" Natalie asked.  
  
Rey nodded. "And that you indeed had an abortion at twenty one. It shows premeditation, your abortion, their list and the recent attack on you. If we can't find the other women in time you're our only hope, but you have to agree with it. Jack doesn't want to push you to do anything you don't want to and neither do I, but you have to understand-"  
  
"I get it Rey," she said quietly, cutting him off. "If it will put them away, I'll testify against them. And yes, I had an abortion when I was twenty one."  
  
Rey moved closer to her on the bed. "Mike?" he asked.  
  
Natalie squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. " Yes, it was Mike," she confirmed. "He never had to know, I didn't want him to know."  
  
"Why not?" Rey asked.  
  
"Mike and I didn't last and there's a reason for that. I don't know what it is, but we're obviously not meant for each other. I didn't want to burden him with a responsibility that neither of us wanted. I could have kept the baby, sure, but why? I couldn't take on a child at that point in my life and keeping it would have made Mike stay, even when he didn't want to." She shook her head. "It was too much to me to handle and it would have overwhelmed him. It's gonna overwhelm him now as it is . . . that bitch. I've always hated Ms. Cooke." She sighed, then glanced at Rey. "Did they tell you why they're raping and killing these women?"  
  
He nodded slowly. "Janet Cooke said she wanted them to feel what their unborn child must have felt when it was being murdered. When Jordan Harper raped them, she saw it as getting the women pregnant again and then forcing them to die with the children they never wanted." He glanced away, obviously disgusted by the woman's thoughts. "I don't agree with abortion Nat, but what she did . . . what they did together is beyond anything I've ever imagined. I may not agree with it, but you're still the same woman to me. You were young and scared and I get that, but how can someone be so twisted that they turn a simple mistake into the greatest sin of all? And how can someone claim to follow God, yet have someone violate these women in the most horrible way? I just don't get it."  
  
Natalie sat up again and reached for Rey's hand. "Hey, don't take it so personally. I know it's hard to think about, but you'll never understand people like them. You don't have the capacity to understand them, neither of us do. You're a good guy Rey and you've stopped them from killing three more women."  
  
"But we haven't found them," he said miserably and Natalie saw for the first time how much this case was affecting him.  
  
"Rey," she whispered, moving across her bed to lean against his shoulder. "You'll find them, I know you will, and if you need me back at work, I'll come back tomorrow morning. We'll find them, I promise you."  
  
"How can you be so sure?" he asked, spreading his hands before them both. "This . . . I don't understand it Nat, I just don't get it. Mike is so wrapped up in himself and his guilt because of your injuries that no one sees how it affects others. Anita's working herself to the bone trying to find these girls because she thinks it was her fault that you got hurt. Her walkie talkie wasn't working and we couldn't hear her tell us to get you out of there. Lennie's beating himself up so badly, he can't afford to lose another friend like you, not after losing Claire. He still blames himself for that and now he's too ashamed to even come see you."  
  
"What about you?" Natalie asked.  
  
Rey's shoulder stiffened under her head. "Me? I told you before, I wasn't prepared to lose you and when I saw him hit you . . . I saw Deborah under him, fighting for her life. Maybe it wasn't as violent, but her death was a struggle from the beginning to the end and when I saw you fighting for your life I nearly collapsed. I couldn't let him take you, not just after I'd met you. It wouldn't have been fair."  
  
"How long has it been since she died Rey?"  
  
"Almost two years," he answered. "I've never lost someone like that before and it can't . . . it just can't start again."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere," Natalie said, taking her head off his shoulder to look at him. "Maybe you should tell Anita that you need to get off this case. It's not just the missing women, it's everything Rey. If you don't get some rest soon, you're gonna fall apart."  
  
"I can't leave them out there," he said, his voice breaking. "Everything just comes back to preventing their deaths. I need to save them."  
  
Natalie grabbed Rey's chin and forced him to look her in the eye. "You couldn't do anything for Deborah, her death isn't your fault. Saving me or saving these women isn't going to bring her back. I know you loved her and I know it hurts you Rey, but you have to slow down."  
  
He stared at her for a long moment, his dark eyes brimming with unshed tears, then reached out gently and touched her face. The bruises were fading quickly, the darkest one still colouring her jaw purple, but the others were gone. Natalie looked surprised as his fingers gently caressed her cheek, but she didn't move away as he continued his exploration. He dragged his fingertips over her lips and down her chin, trailing them across her throat and collarbone.  
  
"Rey," she murmured hoarsely, but before she could finish her protest, his lips were on hers.   
  
The kiss started off slow, fluttering and light touches of his mouth against her partially opened lips. He pressed against her, needing to feel her mouth and she yielded to his kiss without knowing why. It was Mike she wanted, not Rey, yet his lips were warm and comforting and she pulled him closer without realizing what she was doing.   
  
They sat on her bed for a long while, kissing and touching each other softly with shaking hands. Her fingers danced lightly over his arm, softly touching his warm skin. It was only when Rey tasted salt on his lips that he finally moved away to see Natalie crying.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said immediately, but she shook her head and tried to take the silver ring off her finger with her broken hand.   
  
Rey touched her arm gently, then slid the ring off for her, holding it in his palm. Natalie stared down at it, then picked it up and went to her apartment window. As the sun set behind the buildings, she dropped the ring to the street below.  
  
"What was that?" Rey asked, when she returned to the bed and stood in front of him.  
  
"A ring Mike gave me," she replied. "I've been stupid. I'm never going to get him back, we're too different to stay together and yet I keep holding on to a part of him that I'm too selfish to give back."  
  
"Maybe I should go," Rey said.  
  
Natalie put her hand on his shoulder and shook her head. "I'd like if you stayed."  
  
"It's not me you want Nat, it's Mike," he said.  
  
She nodded slowly and lowered herself until she was straddling his lap. "And as much as I want him, I'll never get him back. You don't want me, you want Deborah but you'll never get her back either." She touched his shoulders, then kissed the side of his neck, his chin and his cheek. She stared down at him and said, "Don't tell me you don't want this."  
  
Rey laughed suddenly and pulled Natalie's head down to his once more. Their lips met again, crushing together with more passion than earlier. Even with a broken hand, Natalie managed to loosen Rey's tie and pull it over his head without much trouble. He shrugged out of his jacket quickly, tossing it behind him on the bed as the fingers on Natalie's good hand worked at his shirt buttons. She was still straddling him, her lips suddenly leaving his mouth and working their way down his throat.  
  
Rey leaned back, enjoying her mouth on his body, then reached toward her as they moved back onto her bed. Supporting his weight on the mattress, Rey kissed his way down her throat, his tongue delicately caressing her collarbone. He felt Natalie's toes running up and down his pant leg, her body pressing against him tightly and Rey let out a low moan.  
  
He stopped for a moment, leaning over her, still partially dressed and stared at her.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked.  
  
Natalie answered him by finding his mouth once more and claiming it with her own.  
  
* * * * 


	9. Chapter 9

* * * *  
  
Natalie's roommate Colleen paced the hallway the next morning, inwardly debating if she should enter her friend's bedroom. She had no doubt that Natalie's partner hadn't left the night before, but she wondered if their intentions had been what she was now thinking. Maybe Natalie was just so devastated about Mike that Rey had stayed with her until they had both fallen asleep. Or maybe he had comforted her in other ways.  
  
Colleen shook her head, them impatiently glanced at the bedroom door. She had to check on Natalie, she knew she had to. Colleen had to admit to herself that Rey might have left the night before and she had just fallen asleep before he had gone home. If that was the case, then Natalie was alone in her bedroom right now, possibly in need of a friend.  
  
With her mind made up, Colleen walked down the hallway and slowly opened the door. Natalie was sprawled over Rey's chest, her face nestled in his shoulder, breathing softly.   
  
"Shhh," Rey said softly. "Don't wake her up yet."  
  
Colleen stared at him, unsure of what to say to the naked man lying in her friend's bed. She was suddenly very glad they had covered themselves with the comforter before falling asleep.  
  
"She loves Mike," Colleen said flatly.  
  
Rey looked hurt for a moment, then nodded. "I know."  
  
"So, this was just a comfort thing?"   
  
He nodded again. "I think so."  
  
"Comfort for her?"  
  
Rey glanced down at Natalie's sleeping face and gently brushed back her hair. "Comfort for both of us." He paused and sighed. "Maybe it was a mistake, but it was what we both needed last night."   
  
She nodded slowly. "All right. If you honestly care about Natalie-"   
  
"I do," Rey interrupted her.  
  
"I know, but I was going to say that if you really care about her, you won't let this happen again. She can't go running to you in order to take her mind off Mike every time something happens. They're always going to be together, it doesn't matter if they're broken up or not. They'll always find a way to flirt with each other, touch each other, go to bed with each other and hurt each other." Colleen looked away sadly. "She's hooked on the pain and so is he." She laughed bitterly. "I think they both need emotional help."  
  
Rey sighed. "I think so too. But maybe this time Natalie's really over him."  
  
Colleen laughed again. "I'm sure you're a good guy Rey, you're fairly attractive and you guys probably had a great time last night, but I've seen other men fall head over heels in love with her and all she ever does is cast them aside because they're not Mike. Take my advice, don't let yourself fall in love with her," she said, then closed the door.  
  
Rey remained in the bed for a moment longer, trying to absorb what Colleen had said to him. He was certain that she was right. Natalie may have claimed that she had let go of Mike, but Rey didn't really believe it.  
  
He stood and began to look for his clothes that were scattered around the room. Pulling on his boxers and pants, Rey lifted the covers slightly to find his shirt and tie. Natalie stirred and opened her eyes slightly.  
  
"Leaving so soon?" she asked.  
  
Rey smiled. "I have to go home and change before going back to the precinct."  
  
She laughed. "You could go like that. I'm sure Lennie would be the only one to ask any questions and you could always tell him you got picked up in a bar last night."  
  
"Or I could tell him the truth," Rey said.  
  
Natalie's eyes flashed with an emotion he couldn't place, then she shrugged. "You could, I suppose. I just didn't think you'd want to start any troubled waters at work."  
  
"You mean you don't want Mike to find out."  
  
Natalie sat up, clutching the comforter around her. "Why would you say that?" she asked angrily.  
  
Rey finished doing up his pants and shrugged into his shirt. "I just assumed that everything would go back to normal after this."  
  
"Normal?" Natalie asked. "What do you mean by normal?"  
  
"You and Mike would keep on flirting and I'd stand aside and watch," Rey said, still clenching his tie in one hand. "You only did this for comfort."  
  
Natalie's eyes widened. "So did you!" she exclaimed.  
  
Rey sighed and looked away. "Part of it was comfort yes, but part of it . . . I like you Natalie, a lot. Maybe that's a stupid thing to say because we work together but it doesn't just go away. You and Mike treat each other like, excuse me, shit. You're just objects to each other, don't you get that? You think you love him, but that's not love."  
  
"Sorry, of course you know what real love is," Natalie said sarcastically. "Well, maybe I'm just not as lucky as you are Rey. Maybe no one will ever love me the way you loved Deborah."  
  
His face fell as she said that and he dropped his tie onto her floor.   
  
"Natalie," he began gently, kneeling in front of her. "Don't say that."  
  
"The best relationship I ever had was with Mike," she said. "Sad, isn't it? I'm never gonna know real love and maybe it's just time that I accept it. Mike and I are meant to screw around with each other, it's the way we work."  
  
"Let him go Natalie," Rey said suddenly. "Just get over it and let him go!"  
  
She looked startled for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Maybe I should request a transfer when this case is done. Get away from him and deal with this."  
  
"Then I'd lose my partner," Rey said, looking upset.  
  
Natalie smiled gently. "My roommate must have told you that this shouldn't happen again. You think she's right?"  
  
Rey shrugged, still kneeling on the floor in front of her. "If you dealt with Mike and your feelings and understood what our intentions really were, I don't think I'd mind this happening again."  
  
The door opened a second later and Colleen motioned to Natalie frantically. Mike came into the room a moment after, his eyes on the floor.  
  
"Nat . . . shit, it's hard for me to say this but you were right. I think I was trying to say that I want to be with you still. You scared me when you said you loved me, but I think maybe I love you," he said quickly.  
  
Natalie's eyes widened and she stared at Mike. "You can't love me," she said simply.  
  
He looked up then and opened his mouth to say something, but saw Rey crouched on the floor. His eyes took in Rey's open shirt, the tie crumpled beside him and the suit jacket on the bed. He saw Natalie, covering herself with her comforter, holding Rey's hand.   
  
"What the hell is going on?" he asked.  
  
Natalie closed her eyes as Rey stood and turned toward Mike. Neither man said anything as Rey picked up his tie and suit jacket before walking to the door. He slipped past Mike without incident, then turned and glanced back at Natalie.  
  
"This is all up to you," he said. "And whenever you get it figured out, McCoy would like to meet with you to go over your testimony."  
  
She nodded slowly as both Rey and Colleen disappeared from the room. Mike walked to the bed mechanically and sat down beside her. Natalie pointed to her tee shirt and he handed it to her without saying anything. A moment later he handed her the rest of her clothes and she put them on, neither of them talking.  
  
"You can't love me," she said finally, repeating her earlier statement.  
  
"And why not?" Mike asked. "Because you fucked Rey Curtis?"  
  
She recoiled from him, his choice of words harsh.   
  
"Do you love him Natalie?" he asked, then laughed slightly when she shook her head. "I didn't think so. But you said you loved me."  
  
She shrugged slowly. "I didn't know what I was saying then Mikey, I really didn't."  
  
"It had to come from somewhere."  
  
"It did, it came from what we used to have," Natalie said, meeting his eyes. "I loved you then, so much that I gave you everything. Did you hear what Rey said about meeting Jack McCoy for my testimony? He said that because I'm the one person on the list of Jordan Harper and Janet Cooke that can support their claim that they went after women who had abortions. I had an abortion Mike, four days after you dumped me."  
  
He swallowed hard and looked at her. "You . . . what?"  
  
Natalie nodded. "I was pregnant and y'know, for a split second I thought that maybe it could keep us together. I was going to tell you the day you left me standing alone in the park with your ring in my hand. The stupid ring that I've worn for four years, hoping that maybe one day you'd notice I still wore it. But I couldn't bring myself to tell you and we broke up, so I terminated the pregnancy. That is why I can't love you anymore Mike."  
  
"It doesn't make sense," he said stubbornly.  
  
"Yes it does. It's over, it's been over for four years and neither of us have been willing to accept that. The deadline has come and gone, but even as we go on and date other people, we always come back to each other. There's no relationship, no true feelings, just the comfort of knowing that we were together at one point and that we'll always have that memory," Natalie said. "We can't live in our memories."  
  
Mike sighed. "I . . . it's more than that, isn't it?"  
  
Natalie shook her head. "It hasn't been more than that for a very long time."  
  
"So, you and Rey . . ." he trailed off as Natalie shrugged.  
  
"Maybe. I don't know yet." She paused and glanced at him. "I think a transfer would be a good idea. I need to get away from this mess."  
  
Mike looked at her, eyes wide. "No, don't transfer." He grabbed her hands tightly. "I don't care about our relationship in the past, you're still one of the best friends I've ever had. Just don't transfer."  
  
"Mike," Natalie said in a weary voice.  
  
"Please," he said, looking at her.   
  
She sighed. "I'll think about it."  
  
Mike nodded slowly. "I guess that's good enough for now. You'd better go meet Jack, he's a busy man."  
  
Natalie smiled. "Thanks Mike."  
  
She stood and waited for him to leave her bedroom, but he hesitated slightly at the door.  
  
"Nat?" he called softly.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
He turned back toward her and placed a hand on either side of her face, then gently kissed her forehead. "Whatever happens, promise me you'll always be my friend."  
  
She touched one of his hands softly and smiled. "I promise Mike. Now get out of here before you make me so late that you piss Jack off."  
  
* * * * 


	10. Chapter 10

* * * *  
  
Natalie sat up straight on the witness stand two weeks later, fifteen minutes after Stephanie O'Brien had stepped down. Mike, Rey and Lennie had found the three missing women and with each testimony the evidence against Jordan Harper and Janet Cooke mounted.  
  
Jack McCoy had run her through possible questions the defence may ask many times over and she was confident that she was ready for anything. Giving her testimony to McCoy had been easy, all he wanted to know was when she had had her abortion, who the father had been, where it had been performed and what had happened the night the detectives had tried to catch Jordan Harper.  
  
The defence lawyer, Rickman, she thought his name was, had been pacing in front of her for some time already and Natalie was getting tired of watching him.  
  
"Are you going to ask me any questions or just wear a path in the floor?" she asked suddenly.  
  
The judge rapped his gavel on the table quickly, but a quiet laugh rippled through the court. Natalie caught Mike's eye and he smiled, discreetly giving her a thumbs up sign.  
  
"Ms. Hargraves, isn't it true that you did not tell Michael Logan when you were pregnant?"  
  
She nodded. "Yes, that's true."  
  
"Did you ever tell your parents?"  
  
Natalie frowned. "About six months ago."  
  
"So, how do you suppose that Ms. Cooke had the kind of information that your boyfriend and parents never had?" Rickman asked.  
  
Natalie smiled at him and shook her head slowly. "First, Mike isn't my boyfriend. Second, I went to the school nurse before deciding to have an abortion. The fact that I was pregnant would be in my records and when I returned to school without an enormous stomach, I'm sure Ms. Cooke came to her own conclusions."  
  
"But that's just your assumption, correct?" Rickman asked.  
  
"Correct," Natalie said. "But Detective Rey Curtis pulled records of how many times my file had been accessed, as you recall. It's right there in the evidence pile, number twenty three. My medical file was accessed six times by Ms. Cooke."  
  
Rickman looked flustered for a moment, then stepped away. "No further questions."  
  
"You may step down Ms. Hargraves. The jury is dismissed for deliberation," the judge said, then hammered his gavel once more. "We're adjourned until a conclusion is reached."  
  
Natalie caught up with Rey, Mike and Lennie outside, quickly squeezing Rey's hand in her own. He looked at her in surprise, but she just smiled and whispered, "We'll talk later."  
  
"Well, it was a hell of a case to investigate, but seems like McCoy's having a pretty easy time prosecuting," Lennie said.  
  
"That's because we have three eye witnesses, thanks to you three," Natalie said. "You saved some lives this past week."  
  
Lennie smiled. "We did, didn't we? Who's up for a celebratory lunch?"  
  
"I wouldn't celebrate just yet Mr. Briscoe," Rickman growled.  
  
"Detective Briscoe," Lennie corrected, an eyebrow raised. "And why not? Your clients are as good as gone."  
  
"Maybe Jordan Harper is, but I don't think you collected quite enough evidence against Janet Cooke," he hissed. "It was a nice try though."  
  
Natalie grinned as he walked away. "Where does he get off being so confident?"  
  
"Forget about him," Mike said. "Let's go get lunch."  
  
* * * *  
  
The judge glared sternly at the jury over his glasses and asked, "Has the jury reached a verdict?"  
  
"We have, your honour," the foreman said and stood.  
  
"Janet Cooke, Jordan Harper, would you please rise," the judge requested. "The defendant Mr. Harper is facing two counts of murder in the second degree, four counts of attempted murder, five counts of rape, five counts of kidnapping and one count of assault. How do you find on the first charge?"  
  
The foreman stared at the judge. "We find Mr. Harper guilty on all charges."  
  
A low murmur ran through the courtroom as the judge nodded.  
  
"Ms. Cooke is facing six counts of conspiracy to commit murder in the second degree. How does the jury find?"  
  
"We found Ms. Cooke guilty on all charges," the foreman said.  
  
The judge nodded to the courtroom officers who led away the strangely silent defendants. Natalie stood, satisfied that they had done the best they could, knowing Rey, Mike and Lennie had saved three lives and that Jack McCoy had protected countless others.  
  
"Feels good to be right," Jack said, winking at Natalie as he walked by.  
  
She laughed and followed the other detectives out into the sunlight. As Lennie and Mike walked toward their car, Rey pulled Natalie aside and studied her carefully.  
  
"Can we talk?" he asked finally.  
  
She smiled and shook her head. "No. But I was wondering if you'd like to go out for dinner tonight."  
  
Rey stared at her, unsure of what to say. Finally he mumbled, "Are you asking me out on a date?"  
  
Natalie's smile grew wider. "I think I am. So, how about it Detective? Think we should start this thing off right?"  
  
Rey laughed and nodded. "Yeah, dinner sounds great."  
  
"Good," Natalie said. "Pick me up at six," she told him, then walked toward Mike and Lennie.  
  
"He said yes?" Mike asked as she neared them.  
  
"Oh come on Mike," Lennie said, punching his partner's arm. "What else could he say?"  
  
Natalie grinned and went around to the driver's side door, pushing Mike out of her way. "I feel like driving," she said. "I'm in a damn good mood."  
  
Mike grinned back and handed her the keys. "Do up your seat belt tight Lennie," he warned. "This girl is scary behind the wheel."  
  
Natalie slid into the car, still smiling. She couldn't recall a time when life had been any better.  
  
  
The End  
  
Notes: I know the trial is weak, but I think in the end I got bored with the story and just wanted it to end. Also, the story was based more on emotions that the crime and the trial itself. Hope you enjoyed it ... except for this last chapter, which I think it awful. :) 


End file.
